Pro-Palestinian organizations have called on the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel from the 2025 contest, but Israeli Yuval Raphael, who survived the October 7 attack, was the winner in the TV audience vote, finishing second to JJ. But this year's winner has also made a similar call. He has said that for next year he would like an edition without Israel, while he is disappointed that he has not been excluded so far
Austrian singer JJ, who won this year's Eurovision, has called for Israel to be excluded from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna due to the war in Gaza, Reuters reports.
Eurovision, which insists on its political neutrality, has once again faced controversy over the war. The Israeli military campaign has killed more than 53.000 Palestinians in Gaza, health authorities say, since a Hamas cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which Israeli figures say about 1.200 people were killed.
Pro-Palestinian organizations have called on the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel from the 2025 contest, but Israeli Yuval Raphael, who survived the October 7 attack, was the winner in the television audience vote, finishing second to JJ.
"It's very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest. I would like the next Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Vienna and without Israel," 24-year-old JJ is quoted as saying, reports Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The Israeli embassy in Madrid did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
With his song "Wasted Love," the opera singer - whose real name is Johannes Pietsch - received the votes of the Eurovision jury at the competition held in Basel, Switzerland last week.
Although El Pais did not mention the war in the interview, JJ's statements coincide with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's call on Monday for Israel to be excluded from cultural events such as the Eurovision Song Contest due to the conflict in Gaza.
JJ is also quoted as saying that the vote counting system should be reviewed to improve transparency. He is Austria's third winner of Eurovision, which has become the world's biggest music competition, watched by more than 160 million people.
Israel's success in the public vote in this year's Eurovision Song Contest has sparked reactions since last Saturday after the final, as several countries have reacted to the issue of the voting method.
Singer Yuval Raphael came first in the public vote on Saturday with the ballad "New Day Will Rise," but overall she remained second behind Austria when the jury votes were also taken into account.
Broadcasters in Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Iceland and Finland have expressed questions about the public vote and some have even called for an audit.
Eurovision organizers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have said the vote was independently verified, but they take the parties' concerns seriously.
Israel was 14th in jury votes, but rose to the top thanks to telephone and online voting.
Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom were among the countries whose viewers gave Israel the maximum points (12), while Ireland and Finland each gave it 10.
Irish broadcaster RTE has asked the organizers for a full analysis of the vote.
This came after Spanish broadcaster RTVE said it would demand an investigation into the results and a review of the televoting system.
Viewers could vote up to 20 times via phone, text message or app.
"A system in which everyone can vote up to 20 times is one that encourages manipulation. Whether this manipulation has occurred in our country and in all participating and non-participating countries, there should be an investigation," said Belgian MP Katia Segers.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Belgian public broadcaster VRT said that there are no indications that there was a miscounting of public votes, but that they will demand full transparency from the EBU.
